Only 1% of the world's water can be used for human consumption. Half of the global population will be living in areas of "acute water shortage" by 2030. In India, where water shortages are already being felt, there were over 50 reported acts of violence over water during the month of May alone. And while experts estimate 2.5 gallons per person per day is a sustainable amount to use, the average American consumes 100 gallons per day. And that's just household use, not counting the amount used for agriculture and manufacturing of the goods we consume.
Peak water: Yep, we're approaching it. But could peak water really be the new peak oil? Could water barons be the new oil barons? And just how much of it have we got left? As water supplies dwindle and drought increases worldwide, some technologies are emerging that supply hope for a stable future, and major players in the water game are also beginning to take shape. Below, we take a look at the most pressing fresh water issues--from what's in your tap to how withering aquifers will affect the global economy and climate change.
Smart Water Technologies To Be a $16.3B Industry by 2020
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California 
on 11. 6.09
Photo via Pink Sherbet Photography
Electricity gets all the attention when it comes to the smart grid, but not to be ignored is also what a smart grid can do for water consumption. Americans consume twice the world average in water, massive amounts are wasted in households, manufacturing, agriculture, and landscaping - massive amounts that could be conserved through proper monitoring and accounting. Luckily, water footprints are getting increased attention, and a water grid is being zeroed in on by businesses such as IBM who is working on boosting technology behind everything from high tech water pollution sensing to water footprint accounting. . In fact, the water grid could be the next big business concept, set to be a $16.3 billion dollar industry in the next 10 years.
EPA Bans Pesticide Insecticide Carbofuran by 2010
by Naturally Savvy on 11. 6.09
A worker sprays carbofuran on a tree in Kannenfeldpark, in Basel, Switzerland. Photo by pppspics via Flickr.
As of the end of the year, one more pesticide will be absent from food crops grown in the United States.
In May the EPA ruled that the current residue limits of the insecticide carbofuran on food crops was too high, and the agency has now decided to fully revoke carbofuran tolerances (more commonly known as residue limits). What this means is no carbofuran residue on a food will be deemed acceptable as of 2010. The move follows in the footsteps of the European Union, which banned carbofuran nearly a year ago. But the U.S. ban isn't all that surprising--it has, after all, been three years in the making.
Climate Change May Kill 250,000 Kids Next Year - Many More to Die Annually by 2030
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 11. 2.09
photo: 200 More Montreal Stencils via flickr.
Now here's one to tug at your climate change heartstrings... A new report from Save the Children highlights the impact that global warming is having on the world's children and how many more will be put at risk in the coming decades. The stats: Climate change could kill 250,000 children next year, and 400,000 annually by 2030:
6 Solutions for California's Water Crisis and How We Can Help
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.29.09
Could this hidden object be the answer to California's prayers? Image via: M.Underwood
As California completes its (ongoing) third year of drought, lawmakers are wondering what do we do? As the Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta is under increasing pressure to supply not just the farmers to the east of San Francisco but also 23 million people in that area and in the very dry south, lawmakers are unsure what to do next. Popular Mechanics reports on six of the solutions the government's task force on the issue came up with to deal with California's water crisis of 2009 (and beyond).
Turns out, while there are about 5 solutions being batted around the state legislature, late last week a bill by Sacramento Senate Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg made its way to the top and is up for a possible vote this week. Yet, many of the recommendations are things homeowners and residents can and should be doing on their own. After each solution, we'll offer a few tips for how you can get involved and make it happen without waiting for a resolution.
News From Mother Jones: October 29 - Why Did It Take Us So Long to Start Fixing the Climate?
by Mother Jones on 10.29.09
Look, TreeHuggers, a fun widget! Put your kid on our cover. Or your cat. Or your dog. Or your weird witch doll. Go crazy here.
And that's just one part of our brand new climate package. In fact, the November/December issue of Mother Jones is full of important stories to read in the lead-up to Copenhagen.
Editors-in-Chief Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery wonder what we'll tell our kids when they wonder why it took us so long to start fixing the climate. Kevin Drum writes about how Big Ag got everything it asked for in the climate bill--and then it came back for more. And residents in one small California town ask, You want to pump how much carbon under our yards? Much more inside the issue.
Over at the Blue Marble blog, Julia Whitty lists the five preventable health problems that shrink our lifespans the most. And speaking of unhealthy and preventable, Fiji Water might have been burning its trash, releasing carcinogens into the air of its beleaguered island home. Meanwhile, India gears up to go nuclear. Cool or scary?
Lastly, some good gadget news: Soon you'll be able to charge your cell phone using any kind of light. Windowless cube workers rejoice.
Savior Bud Sucks Moisture From Trees for Drinking Water
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.28.09
Image via Yanko
For dry areas, every drop of drinking water is important. Moisture collectors are a big help, and this concept design, modestly called the Savior Bud, is one idea to help gather up moisture from a tree's respiratory process and create drinking water.
Would You Drink Bottled Water If It Came in a Recyclable Paper Container?
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.26.09
Image via: One Drink at a Time
There are many reasons that the hair on the back of your neck might stand up when someone says the words bottled water - all that wasted plastic, the people harmed in the making of said plastic, the communities 'losing' their water when it is bottled. But, sometimes you need portable water containers. (Okay, we admit that there are alternatives, but what if?) If that container was made from recycled paper instead, would you drink bottled water then?
Prince Albert Tells Hollywood to Change Lifestyle
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 10.24.09
Prince Albert in the can and with The Edge. Photo courtesy of PRNews
When Prince Albert II of Monaco came to Hollywood this week, eco-friendly members of the entertainment biz toasted the royal son of late Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly -- and his environmental foundation. He's been busy hustling up $23 million for the Prince's climate change initiatives. U2's The Edge was in town for the big YouTube webcast concert, Chris "Mr. Big" Noth, Julian Lennon (another famous son), and others showed support for the Monaco monarch's crusade, listening to the Prince deliver a rather admonishing speech.
GOOD Water Use Video Shows How Little Things Add Up
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.23.09
We know we all use more water than we need, and certainly more than we should be using. And we know that a global water crisis is upon us. The obvious thing to do is cut down our water consumption, right? GOOD has a great short video showing what little choices each day add up to big savings in the water department. Some of the suggestions are surprising!
Conserving Water Lowers Greenhouse Gas Footprint - Significantly
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.22.09
Lawn irrigation spray head. Image credit:Louss Sprinklers
This headline seems confusing but is easily explained. Water did not magically show up at your shower on the 31'st floor. It was pushed up to your bareness by a series of massive electric pumps. Water your lawn in the suburbs: same thing. Water distribution is the most energy-intensive in the high-and-dry. Nevada and California, for example, have especially 'energy intensive' water due to the extensive labyrinth of supply canals and pipes relied upon. Astoundingly, an estimated one quarter (25%) of America's electricity consumption is associated with moving and treating water.
WaterGeeks New Stainless Steel, BPA-Free, Filtered Water Bottles Makes Great Stocking Stuffer
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.21.09
Image via: WaterGeeks
This past summer, Jaymi tested a couple of filtered water bottle options and filtered them out based on price, functionality and even complexity of ingredients found in the filter. Now, WaterGeeks throws their hat in the ring with a stainless steel version of these self-filtering water bottles, but can you take it with you wherever you go?
Earthship Makes Landfall in Nicaragua, Builds Home Out of Tires
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.21.09
Image via: Jessica Dore
In the San Juan Del Sur region of Nicaragua, the famed Earthship crew, along with 13 Nicaraguans from the local community, created the start of what will be entirely off-grid, sustainable community, titled Casa Llanta ("Tire House"). This is the first Earthship in Nicaragua and tipster Jessica Dore sent in her thoughts and impressions from her trip to this futuristic community.
Go See Tapped Tonite and Find Out How Sacramento's Municipal Water is Under Attack
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.21.09
We reported a few weeks ago that water bottling giant Nestle plants to build a water bottling plant in Sacramento by the end of this year. While building another water bottling plant seems like a waste of space and resources, after attending an initial community meeting we find out that the project is even more wicked than initially assumed. This week you can support efforts to wrestle Nestle out of Sacramento by heading to the Crest Theater to see Tapped.
Bioneers 2009: Brock Dolman's Watershed Approach
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 10.21.09
photo by Jason Elon Goodman
Bioneers 2009 wasn't your typical conference, and especially not a typical conference on climate change, which can give off an underlying feeling of doom and gloom. Bioneers represents a welcome change, as, even when dealing with the sensitive critical environmental issues of our time (sea level rise, tropical diseases, megadroughts, hypercanes, failed states) the annual conference still always somehow manages to seem upbeat. Every year the conference highlights environmental luminaries (including TH's own Ken Rother!) and this year was no different.
The Scat is Out of the Bag: The Adventure of Our Butts and Toilet Tips from TreeHugger
by David Friedlander, New York City on 10.17.09
After writing a post a few weeks ago about the environmental impact of plush toilet paper production, "The Adventure of Our Butts" was brought to my attention. This Story of Stuff-like video gives a graphic--but not too graphic--narrative of Billy, a pre-fecal cartoon boy who is shown how his choice of plush toilet paper causes the destruction of hundreds of thousands of virgin trees. He is also transported to foreign lands where squat toilets with buckets of water are the only way to clean up to show that most of the world doesn't use the amount of resources Americans like Billy do.
Since "The Adventure of Our Butts" and mainstream media like the New York Times and Washington Post are starting to broach this messy topic, I thought I'd compile some ideas about how to green your toilet habits besides using recycled toilet paper.
